The focus of this research is on the stories about Buddhist Jin Pyo(713~?) and Jin Muk(1562~1633). Jin Pyo and Jin Muk which have the same local and religious backgrounds, but their living periods are different. So, there may be both similarities and ...
The focus of this research is on the stories about Buddhist Jin Pyo(713~?) and Jin Muk(1562~1633). Jin Pyo and Jin Muk which have the same local and religious backgrounds, but their living periods are different. So, there may be both similarities and dissimilarities in their stories. In this research, the fact above is premised, and the features of stories about Jin Pyo and Jin Muk are explained, then the relationship between those common aspects & differences and traditional environments are to be made clear.
The stories about Jin Pyo are found in 'Song Go Seung Jeon' and 'Sam Kuk Yu Sa.' However, there are two stories different to each other in 'Sam Kuk Yu Sa.' One was written by Buddhist IlYeon, 'Jin Pyo Jeon Gan.' The other is 'Pung Ac Bal Yeon Su Ki' written by Mu Geuk, a disciple of IlYeon. The stories about Jin Pyo found in those documents are principally near to myths. Those stories described Jin Pyo as a holy person, and they are described according to the literary custom found in biographical records about Buddha and religious dignitaries. Here, Jin Pyo is described in the Buddhism environment. Therefore, Jin Pyo is not related to any environment outside Buddhism. The stories plots are perfectly structured. The Jin Pyo stories are closed texts due to these features. This aspect influenced the dictating environment of Jin Pyo. The Jin Pyo stories are seldom narrated in fields. The expansion of the stories is difficult due to the closed characteristic. However, Jin Pyo in a few narrated stories is sacred.
The signs of recording the shape of Jin Muk are found in 'Jin MukSun Sa Yu Jeok Go. 'This text was written by an esteemed priest, Cho Eui in the early Chosun dynasty. The odd behaviors of Jin Muk are mainly described. Jin Muk was expressed as an existence transcending holiness and vulgarity. This character formation is deeply related to the tradition of the Buddhism culture. The essence of Zen Buddhism is in transcending good, evil, holiness, and vulgarity. The main stream of discipline of Chosun Buddhism in Jin Muk and Cho Eui' s period was following the tradition of Zen Buddhism. Jm, formed as a transcending existence, was described as a free person coming into and going out the boundary of Buddhism. There was no pertinacity at all in him. This aspect influenced the dictating environment of JIN MUK stories. People, a representative dictating group, enrolled jm, who had a transcending appearance, into various stories. Due to this, stories about Jin Muk are actively dictated nowadays also. The characteristic of those dictated stories are similar to myths, legends, and folk stories.
The common features in both Jin Pyo and Jin Muk are described below. The two stories dealt with monks. Therefore, the motives of Buddhism features are shown repeatedly in the documents. The local area, Jeon La Buk Do, where the two stories have been transmitted has shown a religious form with Maitreya Buddha as a main character. Therefore, the two stories were described in keen relation with Maitreya Buddha. The faith for Maitreya Buddha is based on strong desires for a new world. The local area, Jeon La Buk Do, has always been alienated politically in our history. Furthermore, this area was always a target of exploitation because it was a granary area. The people living in this area have always eagerly desired a new political leader. This thirst of people was combined with the faith for Maitreya Buddha, and then sacredly described the heroes born in this land. The sacredly description of Jin Pyo and Jin Muk has this background.
The differences between the stories of Jin Pyo and Jin Muk are as such. The Jin Pyo stories have seldom been dictated in fields. On the contrary, the Jin Muk stories are actively dictated. The number of people believing in Buddhism has decreased considerably since the introduction of Christianity. Therefore, transmitting groups of stories about Buddhism monks has clearly decreased. Furthermore, mythical imagination has lost its meaning as rationalism has penetrated lives. This environmental change directly influenced the stories about Jin Pyo. The dictating group lost interest in the Jin Pyo stories. On the contrary the Jin Muk stories became extended in various fonns because of jm's transcending appearance. In this process, the stories have achieved a life force to be dictated nowadays. This aspect of transmission is considered to be general in religious stories.